June 08, 2010

Exclusive: First pictures, exclusive details on the new 'Sons of Anarchy' season

What with the end of the TV season, the series finale of "Lost" and the start of summer programming, things have been really busy the last few weeks. So busy, in fact, that I haven't been able to share much from my May trip to the set of "Sons of Anarchy."

Finally, I've got time to write up what I learned on that visit, which was, alas, too brief (and also may have occurred on the wrong day. The next day's call sheet made reference to a "porn party" scene. Would that have been more exciting than see SAMCRO's lawyer talk legal strategy with the guys? Now I'll never know!)

In any case, I'll be posting interviews from the show's cast and a long conversation with "Sons" creator Kurt Sutter close to the Season 3 premiere date in September, but casting information and some thoughts from Sutter about the general direction of the season follow. This post also has the first photos from the third season of the FX drama.

(I've tried to be judicious about what I've revealed about Season 3, and I've tried not to make this post too spoiler-heavy. In my opinion, what follows are Season 3 teasers, or appetizers, if you will. If you want to remain 100 percent spoiler-free for Season 3, stop reading now. If you don't mind seeing some casting news, read the first half of the bullet points below. The second half of this list contains some fairly general plot information).

First, a few "Sons" factoids:

Season 3 will premiere on "a Tuesday in early September." That's all FX would say about the date, but I'm going to go ahead and speculate that Season 3 arrives Sept. 7. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.

Lots of "Deadwood" veterans in Charming these days. Dayton Callie (a.k.a. "Deadwood's" Charlie Utter), who plays Sheriff Wayne Unser on "Sons," has been made a series regular this year.

Robin Weigert, who played Calamity Jane on "Deadwood," has a recurring role this year as the Sons' lawyer.

Taryn Manning, who played Cherry in Season 1, will be back for three episodes this year.

Agent June Stahl (Ally Walker) will be back for four or five Season 3 episodes.

As previously announced, Hal Holbrook will have a recurring role as Gemma's father, Nate Madock. Sutter said Holbrook would be in the first four episodes of the season and possibly one more later on.

Also previously announced: Kenneth Johnson (a.k.a. Lem from "The Shield") will be back as Kozik, a Sons of Anarchy biker from the Tacoma chapter. Will we ever find out what his beef with Tig is about? Sutter: "We're toying with the idea that maybe we never say what it is."

Stephen King has a cameo in Episode 3 of the new season.

Fun fact about Paula Malcolmson (another "Deadwood" veteran), who is in eight Season 3 episodes as the matriarch of the Sons of Anarchy outpost in Belfast: The actress grew up in that city. I had no idea she was from Northern Ireland -- her American accent is flawless.

Titus Welliver, whose family also has roots in Belfast, will be back for eight episodes as the intimidating Jimmy O'Phelan. Yes, Welliver is another "Deadwood" vet.

Below, creator Kurt Sutter talks in a bit more depth about Season 3 of the show. I would call what follows teasers, not spoilers, about the upcoming season.

What you may have gathered from the bullet points above is that the Belfast story line is very important this season, which isn't that surprising, given that Season 2 ended with True IRA operative Cameron Hayes abducting Jax's son, Abel. And as Sutter explained on his blog, John Teller set up an outpost of Sons of Anarchy in Belfast decades earlier, so the links between Belfast and Charming have been there for some time.

According to Sutter, the show has "dual [Belfast-Charming] story lines from the jump" and the two plots will converge deeply a few episodes into Season 3. "I think we've earned it," he said. "I think people are invested enough in the characters and the world to where they’re open to getting backstory about [SAMCRO co-founder and Jax's father] John Teller and about this world."

The Belfast story line is so crucial that the show will shoot second-unit material there twice during the course of Season 3 production, and the show's crew has also constructed an outdoor Belfast street a block away from the show's main Los Angeles set. Several indoor sets for the Belfast scenes have also been built in L.A.

"I’m not out to make some sort of political statement about the IRA and Northern Ireland and the Loyalists and Republic," Sutter said. "To me, it’s like the [American] outlaw community is in the show -- it’s backdrop. It’s really this conflict between these two men [i.e., Jimmy O and the priest]... They are living outside the box and it’s really mirroring a lot of the stuff that went on last season with Jax and Clay. It’s really all about character and that dynamic. And what happens is, the baby sort of becomes the pawn in all of that."

Sutter and I talked about how some shows stumble in their third season -- I noted that the Belfast story line sounded like the kind of things many shows would try in their fifth years after treading water for a couple of seasons. "I always really wanted to do something in Season 3 that allowed us to really go in a different direction, so we do don’t [stagnate]," he said. "I think most shows fail because ... you know, they’re afraid to be different and so what happens is, they start to get either derivative or they start throwing" too many guest stars into the mix.

"In my mind, it makes complete sense -- I knew the Irish backstory was always a very big part of this mythology," he continued. "And I don’t want to wait, like you said -- I don’t want to like wait until Season 5 to reveal that. It’s like, Jax is in a place where he’s deciding what he’s going to do, and he gets pulled away from all of that with everything that happens with his kid. Yet he can’t ultimately deny the information that he’s going to get in Belfast, and it will continue to impact him. So it seems like we’re going in a completely different direction, but, you know, we’re just continuing to tell the emotional story of our lead character."

I cannot wait until the season starts up. I felt they would take the story overseas considering Jax is going to go to Ireland to get his son back. He would not wait weeks or leave it to someone else to go after his son. After seeing him break down in the season finale, I expected him to get on the next plane to Ireland and call in the Belfast chapter about what went down.

The best show ever... Once you meet these characters, they live on with you as if they were relatives. Richly, meticulously and fabulously acted & written... orgasmically stimulating. Seriously. If you don't watch it, start. If you do watch it, tell me I'm lying and if you do, YOU'RE LYING!

Oh damn, September get here!! I can't wait, thanks for the teasers, just makes me want to watch it even more, but that's okay, we got what, 3 more months! AHHH! This is and has been the best series I have ever watched!! :) Thank you Kurt Sutter!!

I hope that they patch Half Sack in posthumously. He gave his life to try to save his VP's ole lady, and also his child. That's the ultimate sacrifice anyone can make for their club. It'll be interesting to see Cherry again as well, and find out what she has in store for the club since she was sent to Canada. And also, has anyone discovered Agent Kohn's body yet? Does Stahl have a change of heart after the little chat she had with Opie? So many questions, so little time!

love the show, best thing on tv ever!!! one ? though if the sons are going to belfast to get able back how the hell are they gonna get out of the country with the assualt charges on zobell still pending? i know im getting way too technical with this but just curious. SAMCRO 4 LIFE!

season one was awesome...almost somewhere in the neighborhood of how a real Outlaw biker club operates with the violence and plans within plans...season two seemed to me a let down--like Sutter got his cohones squeezed about the pervasive violence and how the characters seemed so unremorseful (which was exactly what was realistic!)...so Sutter scaled back on the violence and the 'evilness' of the characters...in season 2 it seemed like everyone was scared to kill anybody and club members were getting stabbed and shot but (just like other grade B shows) they seemed to be just fine by the next episode...seemed to fall flat to me...hopefully SOA will get back on track for the 3rd season...

Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Thank you Thank you Thank you...Very much you have answered my questions thank you for the info the lil teasers and everything thank you alot cant wait for sept to come..

I LOVE SOA!!!!! I have been watching from the begining! It's the best show on T.V. I have a pet snake, that when I aquired it couldn't think of a good name for it. But since I found SOA, and fell madly in love with all the characters what better name for him, but Jax. Please have more nude shots of Jax, I love his body!!! Thank You, Mr. Sutter...your great!!! Keep up the Great work!!! Can't wait til September....Dawn

I just wish the season was a little bit longer. Or the time between the seasons was a little bit shorter. I can't wait for FX to start replaying episodes to get us all siked for the new season!!! This is one of the best tv shows I have seen in a long time!!!

This is the best show. Started watching a little late, but it's never too late to become a fan. The acting and casting is impecable. The actors aren't too known that they overshadow these wonderfully complex characters. Although I am married with children (no pun intended), I am abosolutely in love with Jax. I agree with Ms. Costello more naked Jax! Season 3 sounds like it won't be a let down!

I've just come back from watching filming in Belfast for series 3 with the TV crew using doubles on the bikes and some new N.I chapter guy's. I've got some great pics! Fantastic! Can't wait for series 3.

If you have become a Charlie Hunnam fan check out Green Street Houligan's. Elijah Wood is the lead but don't let that fool you. Incredibly underrated movie about the "Firms" in England that follow football. Very violent and well done. Now on to S.O.A., it is by far and wide the greatest show ever, period. The depth of the characters is great. True American Outlaws the way they should be portrayed.

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